Non-shorting pin system

Claim 1

In a zero insertion force type electrical connector for receiving an electrical component having a plurality of rows of contact pads disposed on opposite sides of a flat surface thereof, said contact pads including a first row of pads on a given side of said electrical component offset and interleaved with respect to pads in an adjacent second row and on the same side of said electrical component, insulating gaps separating said pads in said first row narrower than the width of the contacting region of said pads in said second row to provide a high density contact pad pattern, an electrical connector comprising: a housing of electrically insulating material having a base and two side walls together defining an elongated opening at the top of said housing for receiving therein said electrical component; upper inclined surfaces on the inside of each side wall of said housing facing the elongated opening in said housing; lower inclined surfaces on the inside of each side wall of said housing facing the elongated opening in said housing; a first row of spring-like contact pins having alternating long and short pins on one side of said elongated opening; a second row of spring-like contact pins having alternating long and short pins on the other side of said elongated opening in staggered relation to said first row of contact pins wherein the long pins of said first row are opposite said short pins of said second row and the short pins of said first row are opposite said long pins of said second row; contact regions of said short contact pins for contacting the interleaved contact pads located in the row of pads nearest to the edge of the electrical component, contact regions of said long contact pins for contacting the interleaved contact pads located in the row of pads farthest from the edge of the electrical component; actuating means for moving said housing in a vertical plane wherein said lower inclined surfaces urge said short contact pins and said upper inclined surfaces urge said long contact pins in a direction toward the center of said elongated opening; said contact regions of said short pins passing through said centerline of said elongated opening wherein the contact region of each short pin is below said contact region of said opposite long pin thereby precluding opposite facing contact pins from contacting and short circuiting when the contact pins are actuated in the absence of an electrical component within the connector, and said contact regions of said long pins passing through said centerline of said elongated opening wherein the contact region of each long pin is above said contact region of said opposite short pin thereby precluding opposite facing contact pins from contacting and short circuiting when the contact pins are actuated in the absence of an electrical component within the connector; upon insertion of an electrical component vertically into said elongated opening of said housing through a vertical plane oriented substantially parallel with the longitudinal dimension of said elongated opening, electrical connection is completed.